African violet named Marina

ABSTRACT

A new variety of African violet plant for potted plant culture particularly distinguished by its year around blooming capability, its profuse production of medium blue ruffled-edge flowers, and its compact growth with abundant foliage of solid green color.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

This new variety of African violet plant was discovered by me in 1982after crossing Seed Parent Holtkamp Hybrid 36/1 and Pollen ParentRhapsodie Astrid, at Hayward, Calif. With subsequent propagation of thenew plant by means of leaf cuttings at Hayward, Calif., this plant hasdemonstrated that its distinctive characteristics hold true fromgeneration to generation and appear to be firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

Sheet one is a full color photographic view of the plant in bloom. Thecolors shown being as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to obtainby conventional photographic procedures.

The following is a detailed description of my new African violet plantwith the color designation being according to The R.H.S. Colour Chartpublished by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England, withcollaboration by The British Colour Council.

THE PLANT

Origin: Seedling, #H-19/6.

Seed parent: Holtkamo Hybrid #36/1.

Pollen parent: Rhapsodie Astrid.

Classification:

Botanic.--Saintpaulia ionanthe.

Commercial.--African violet.

Form: Rosette arrangement.

Height: 9 to 10.5 cm. tall.

Growth: New growth is vigorous and has a tendency to grow slightlyupwards. As leaves get older, they grow more horizontally and eventuallygrow somewhat downward.

Size: Small; overall plant diameter is from 17.1 to 18.7 cm.

Mutation prone: Very little for foliage or flowers.

Foliage: Brittle.

Shape.--Ovate with undulated margins.

Length.--Approximately 6 cm. for a mature leaf.

Width.--Approximately 5.5 cm. for a mature leaf.

Color.--Upperside: Dark Green. Underside: Light green, red pigment inveins and in the tissue closest to the veins.

Texture.--Upperside: Pubescent. Underside: Puberulent.

Ribs and veins.--Veins are pinnate, slightly sunken on leaf surface,pronounced on underside of leaf.

Petiole.--Oval, red pigmented, pubescent on its upper and undersides.Length varies with age of leaf and plant.

Flower:

Blooming habit.--Continuous and abundant under optimum growingconditions.

Number.--7 to 9 per peduncle.

Size.--Each flower is approximately 3.5 cm. in diameter.

Color.--Violet-blue group, 91-A, from The R.H.S. Colour Chart.

Type.--Single.

Petals.--5 per individual flower with ruffled margins.

Texture.--Smooth and flexible, easily damaged.

Appearance.--Sparkly upper surface. Underside is shiny with small bumpsand is sparsely puberulent.

Peduncles.--Short, strong, red pigmented, pubescent.

Inflorescence.--Cyme, upright, above foliage.

Calyx.--Quinquepartite, red pigmented, puberulent.

Persistence.--Flowers do not drop. Old flowers dry up on the stalk.

Fragrance.--None.

Reproductive organs:

Stamens.--Usually 2 per flower and joined at top of anthers.

Anthers.--Visible, bright yellow, fade slightly as they get older; oneon each filament.

Filaments.--Approximately 0.3 cm. long.

Pollen.--Light yellow, ripens before stigma.

Pistils.--Normally 1 per flower.

Stigma.--Usually visible and accessible. When receptive, it becomesswollen and usually exudes a small drop of clear fluid.

Style.--Approximately 0.5 cm. long.

Ovary.--Superior.

This variety of African violet plant is very suited for potted plantculture and its year around blooming capability gives the plant acommercially attractive value. Flowers do not drop. This new Africanviolet is a good producer that is fairly disease resistant. One of themost important characteristic of this variety of African violet is thatof uniformity. Uniformity and reliability are found at every point inthe growing of this variety. In plants initiated at one time from leafcuttings, virtually all plantlets uniformly come up at the same time andbloom at the same time following the planting.

I claim:
 1. An African violet plant with blue, ruffled blossoms borne ona compact plant.